Sir Auros' review of: Sunstreaker

If I'm not mistaken, Sunstreaker is the first flat-out repaint I've purchased in the entire Alternators toyline, which would also make it the first repaint in said line. In all honesty, I'm not a huge fan of this mold and could have probably done without buying this figure, but a combination of the paintjob and the character. I suppose not having purchased an Alternators figure since September and seeing several of them in new packaging was a factor too. Now, I say the character was a factor in my purchse, but it wasn't because I'm a Sunstreaker fan or anything, I just wanted Sideswipe to have a companion and he was one of the more prominent G1 characters, compared to some of the other Alternators at least. All in all, I bought the figure and even though it's a repaint, I like it.

Vehicle Mode:
Despite feeling justified plunking down $20 (or 211 pesos if you will) for this figure, it is not without its faults, the most prominent of which turns up in the vehicle mode. If you're a more than casual fan, you're probably aware of Hasbro's last minute change (and delay) of the Alternators Tracks figure from being yellow to blue. The official reasoning was that the interior black plastic was visible through the yellow exterior; however, the unofficial rumor was that Hasbro caved to fan demands for a G1 blue Tracks. Given that Sunstreaker, like Decepticharge and Swerve before him, demonstrates that this problem is still unresolved, I'm more inclined to believe the unofficial reason for Tracks' color change. Sunstreaker's black interior shows through on the doors and it doesn't look so great.

The racing edition of the Dodge Viper looks good and despite the coloring problem I do like the colors more than Sunstreaker's doppleganger, Dead End. I really like Sunstreaker's colors because it just clicks with the car whereas Dead End's just didn't look "natural."

Robot Mode:
I still have the same complains with this robot mode as I did with Sideswipe and Dead End. The legs lack mobility and the grill should have been able to flip up instead of hamper range of motion, the hood of the car comes down and forms a weird skirty cape thing, and the doors are still just obnoxious. The figure does look great with this paintjob and I think the lighter colors really bring out the details better than Dead End's paintjob. I guess the thing I like most about this figure is that, like Sideswipe, it really does a great job emulating the G1 namesake.

Transformation: 8 - It'd be great if the grill and the hood could have been designed to be less obtrusive in robot mode, but this is an old (over 2 years at this point) mold and they just can't be changed that much without recasting.Durability: 8 - Like the Skids figure that came in this batch, the plastic doesn't feel as solid as with some of the older Alternators.Fun: 8 - The legs are sorely hampered in their mobility, but there are still some nifty poses and it's G1eriffic.Price: 9 - I really can't give a perfect 10 to a repaint in the price department.Summary: 8 - Ultimately, the driving force behind most people getting this toy is going to be that they either missed out on Dead End or are buying it because it's based on a G1 figure. It is a simple repaint, but it's a pretty sweet deal nonetheless.